The US military announced that it will begin closing all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 1400 GMT (April 13), with ships not bound for Iran allowed to continue transiting the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.“The blockade will be applied impartially against ships from all countries entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X on Sunday.
She added that “US Central Command forces will not obstruct the freedom of navigation of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” apparently to soften President Donald Trump’s previous statements in which he said that “any and all ships” would be blocked.The move comes in the wake of Trump’s order to impose a comprehensive naval blockade after nearly 20 hours of talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad failed to achieve a breakthrough. The US President accused Iran of refusing to give up its nuclear ambitions despite what he described as largely fruitful negotiations.In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump said the talks “went well” and that “most points were agreed upon,” but insisted that Tehran remained “steadfast on the most important issue,” declaring: “Iran is not ready to give up its nuclear ambitions!”Trump said he was “fully debriefed” by Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner after the talks facilitated by Pakistan.
He also accused Iran of reneging on its assurances to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, warning that the situation had caused “anxiety, turmoil and pain for many people and countries around the world.”“They say they planted mines in the water,” Trump wrote, adding that uncertainty had already hampered global shipping. “Which shipowner wants to seize the opportunity?”Trump described the situation as “global blackmail” and said that the United States would respond with immediate and strong measures.He added: “With immediate effect, the US Navy will begin…an operation to blockade any and all ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz.”He added that US forces “will seek and intercept every ship in international waters that has paid fees to Iran,” warning that “no person who pays illegal fees will have safe passage on the high seas.”Trump also said that US naval units would begin clearing mines allegedly planted by Iran, and issued a stark warning: “Any Iranian who fires on us, or on peaceful ships, will fly to hell!”He added that the blockade will remain in place until freedom of navigation is restored, describing the current situation as a violation of international norms.Meanwhile, Trump pointed to a possible way out, saying: “At some point, we’re going to get to a let-all-in, let-all-out basis,” while blaming Iran for preventing such an outcome.
